11/20/22, 9:58 PM 07 Insight: The Pessimist, the Judge and the Realist

Insight:
The Pessimist, the Judge and the
Realist
Whether we realize it or not, we all talk to ourselves. Sometimes, this self-talk is the result of
conscious, rational thinking. For example, “I can’t forget to buy my wife a birthday card on the
way home tonight.” At other times, these thoughts are more negative and are the result of
judging or pessimistic thoughts – “She won’t think my presentation is good enough,” or “He doesn’t
care about his impact on the team.” These negative thoughts are most prevalent when our
Mindtraps have been triggered, and ultimately, are the ones that impact our behaviors and
attitudes. The third, our Realist, is our more calculated inner talk and helps us to rationalize
during these situations.  

Acknowledging our Pessimist and Judge and learning how to leverage our Realist are key to
learning how to get out of a Mindtrap.

Our Pessimist and Our Judge

The Pessimist… The Judge...

The Pessimist side of us immediately The Judge part of us makes broad

focuses on the downside of any situation.
Our Pessimist may tell us that “nothing I
do will make a difference here” or
immediately begin to see the potential
problems.
sweeping judgments of the situation or
people involved, sometimes aimed
outwards by attaching broad labels to
other people or situations, or other
times, internally. The Judge often sits a
bit deeper in our subconscious than
the Pessimist.

The Realist
Our Realist is the part of us that is able to tell
the truth among the exaggerations from our
Judge and Pessimist. It allows us to be clear
and honest about what is actually going on in
a situation. The Realist is more than just
positive thinking – it’s about the balanced
truth. It surfaces when you are out of the box
and helps to provide the clarity needed to
overcome judging and pessimistic thoughts
that lead to Mindtraps.

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